


Wanted Dead Or Alive (name to be changed maybe)

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural, destiel - Fandom
Genre: F/M, I apologize for nothing, M/M, and everything, i wrote this before and deleted it but i decided to put it back, its basically the same as the show with minor fixes, minor fixes, no beta we die like men, reverse!verse, things happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-11 03:38:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20146999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Castiel Novak and his family are renowned hunters. But he's heading to hell in March. His family does some researching to try to save him, but we know how that ends.





	1. End of October

**Author's Note:**

> (This is a really bad summary but I am trying and I am editing it as I go to the best of my ability. I will be doing my best to make it better than the show was, but I make no promises because I know my abilities)

Castiel walked through the door, gun held at the ready in case there happened to be any spirits, with Gabriel at the other door making sure the coast was clear before they walked in guns blazing at innocent people. 

Cas was beginning to think that Gabriel was never going to give the signal until he heard the short high-pitched whistle. The coast was clear, but now they didn’t have the element of surprise. This was nothing new. 

There was a gunshot from his far left and a small grunt. Castiel made his way through the house only shooting once because the spirit tried to stop him. Gabriel was in the kitchen fighting off an entirely different spirit with a crowbar. He must have lost his gun, which was really not like him. It was very un-hunter like, but he didn’t seem to lose any of his candy, as when the spirit disappeared, he popped a cherry sucker in his mouth and shot thumbs up to his brother. 

Castiel rolled his eyes and continued on into the living room. Gabriel followed quietly. In the living room they looked around for anything that could have made the spirit stay instead of following the reaper. Gabriel lounged around in a chair as Cas looked around the room. 

Gabriel made a slight noise and Castiel’s head shot up. Gabriel had a locket in his hand and a smile on his face. He opened the locket and there was a picture of two people gazing at each other, love evident on their faces even in the small photo. A small lock of hair fell out as well. 

They looked around because this seemed way too easy for them, there must have been something else. But when they threw the entire locket into the fire and nothing happened for a few minutes, they just shrugged at each other. It was a simple salt and burn it seemed. 

Outside they rolled their shoulders and relaxed a minute before getting into Castiel’s car, a nice ’71 black Duster. It was Castiel’s favorite possession and he tried to treat her right. Gabriel sat in the passenger seat and lay back a little. 

“So Cassy, do you know where our next hunt is?” 

“Gabriel. You know it is just Castiel. I hate that. You are such an assbutt. No I don’t know where our next hunt is. Why don’t you look for once?” Castiel suggested after glancing at his brother. 

Gabriel got a candy bar out of his pocket. “Because I’m the oldest and I’m no good at research.” 

Castiel shook his head. He and his brother may have been some of the best hunters around, but Castiel really couldn’t do all the research and drive them everywhere. Gabriel was really smart but he just didn’t want to apply himself to the work. Sure, he could handle himself in a fight, but he just really didn’t want to do the boring part of it all; so, he got stuck with it. He got to know what they were hunting, what its strengths and weaknesses were, how to kill it, and more importantly, how to stay alive. 

“Fine. But we need to stop at a motel. There is no way in heaven or hell that I am going to do any research without a burger.” 

Gabriel just laughed. Castiel switched on the radio and turned it up so he could concentrate on finding a burger place and a motel that was a little less shady than what they were used to. 

Burgers in hand they walked into the motel room and sat down. It seemed that Gabriel was entirely to quiet. When Castiel looked up he found Gabriel was staring at him. 

“What now Gabriel?” 

“Little brother, you know I would die for you, but why do you have to go. You didn’t need to bring me back.” 

“I most certainly did Gabe. I don’t want to hunt without you. I don’t think I can. It would be extremely boring to hunt knowing my brother is already dead and gone.” 

“But I get to hunt without you?! You shouldn’t get to make these kinds of decisions Cas! It’s not right, you can’t play God.” 

“Gabriel we’ve talked about this. I don’t want to say any more. We have one more Christmas to look forward to, and then we have until the beginning of March.” 

“Fine.” 

“Now I’m going to find us a hunt. If you aren’t going to help me find one, then I suggest you sleep. We are leaving after I find us a good lead.” 

Gabriel made a forced smile and finished his burger before lying down. 

Feeling like a complete ass, Castiel looked for leads on his laptop for a few hours before finding anything even remotely hard. This regular salt and burn business was too easy for them now. The article that he had found sounded like a demon. Something worthwhile it seemed. Castiel wanted to do all the good he could before he had to kick the bucket and go make friends with the devil, because he really didn’t think he was going to heaven after selling his soul for Gabriel. 

He wanted to get on the road now and start their new lead, but they really needed to rest. No need to get into a hunt exhausted. At six in the morning Castiel woke up. He usually only got four hours of sleep, but today it seemed his body had betrayed him and let him sleep in. The room was still dark, meaning Gabriel was still asleep. For someone who could kill monsters at the drop of a pin, he sure did sleep a long time. 

Getting up was hard even though he had been hunting for most of his life. He always felt better after two cups of strong coffee and a hot shower. And standing under the sad sprinkle of water they call a shower at the motel, he felt thoroughly awake, if a little upset that his shower sucked. 

“Rise and shine Gabriel!” Castiel yelled laughing as he threw off his covers. Messing with his brother was one of the many highlights of his day. 

Gabriel groaned and rolled over, throwing his pillow in the general direction of Castiel. After he easily dodged it, he laughed again. 

“You really aren’t trying, are you? Well maybe this is what you wanna hear then.” Castiel paused. “We can have pancakes for breakfast today.” 

Gabriel jumped out of his bed with the grace of a feline. Well, maybe the grace of a newborn feline, meaning he rolled out of bed and landed on the floor with a grunt faster than he would have without pancake promises. 

“Pancakes. I’m in. I’m ready. Let’s go.” 

He was only wearing his boxers and his hair was a bird’s nest. 

“Yes, I am sure the waiter or waitress couldn’t wait to serve us whilst you are wearing your Loki boxers.” 

“Hey, anybody who gets to see me in my boxers should be honored. These are the coolest boxers ever. Almost as cool as I am.” Gabriel rubbed a hand over his face, then through his hair. “Though I suppose a shower wouldn’t hurt.” 

Feeling full, both brothers piled into the car. Castiel pulled out and decided now was the best time to tell Gabriel their lead for the next hunt. 

“Okay listen, our new lead is somewhere in Wiccaset, Maine. I’ve done the research and all signs point to being a demonic possession. It should be fairly difficult and I think we should try not killing the person when exorcising the demon. It’s not their fault they were possessed.” 

“Aww. Look at you, the compassionate hunter. We can’t always win Castiel, but yeah we can try.” 

After a six-hour car ride and a stop to fill the tank, the hunters made it to Wiccaset. It was a small town and didn’t seem all that different than a usual town. But looks can be deceiving and the brothers checked in to a small motel. 

Gabriel was the one to lead them to their room, smiling the whole way. 

“You got his number, didn’t you?” 

“What can I say Cassy? He was a cutie. Mr. tall, dark, and dorky. The perfect combo. You can’t blame me, because I also got the girls number too. It’s never too late for some fun.” 

All Castiel did was shake his head. There was no doubt in his mind; Gabriel was a killer, both of monsters, and romantic partners. He just didn’t literally kill his partners. 

In the room they put all the necessary hunting weapons out on the bed and Castiel sat to look through some exorcisms while Gabriel cleaned a few guns and a silver blade he never went anywhere without. It was quiet but they both needed to think about the hunt and its possible outcome. Castiel just thought his last couple months were nearly there and he wasn’t going anywhere until he absolutely had to. 

“The lead points to a death in a small neighborhood close to here. Apparently, a small child is not letting anyone leave the house.” 

“That’s it? That’s the lead?” Gabriel asked astonished. He couldn’t believe that’s all Castiel had to say about this. 

“The demon is a little killing machine. I hope we do not kill this one like the last.” Castiel stopped talking. He really didn’t feel like killing another demon while also killing the child. Exorcisms didn’t always have a positive outcome, but he really hoped he didn’t need to see another dead child. Once was quite certainly enough. 

Gabriel nodded, taking in his brothers forced calm. He knew that Castiel just needed to save the child; it wasn’t the demon he cared about. Castiel was all heart when it came to children, and that was a flaw no hunter needed. Just because it was the easiest button to push until it broke. 

Castiel stood, having memorized the exorcism he was going to say. He got the spray paint can and led the way out the door and to the car. No music was played so they kept their focus on the hunt instead of the small pleasures they could get. 

“We need to get into the house and safely paint the devils trap somewhere where it can catch the demon. But it would also be good if we didn’t get caught, because then we would have to improvise, like usual.” Castiel stated, never taking his gaze from the road. 

“Are you freaking insane? We can’t just walk in there and draw some demon traps without being noticed in some way. Are you even thinking about us here? Because this is sounding religiously close to suicide here Castiel.” 

“I am thinking for the child Gabriel.” Castiel remarked. 

“Obviously. Now Castiel, listen. We. Can. Not. Save. Everyone. Though we can try, it’s just not possible. Now, why don’t we go to an abandoned place and coat it with devils' traps and lure the demon there. That way we get the demon, and might save the child.” 

Castiel thought it through, his head tilted to one side. “I am sorry brother; I was thinking irrationally and you are right. We cannot save everyone, however much I wish it otherwise.” 

Castiel drove them to the house the demon was currently residing in. It looked perfectly inconspicuous. The paint looked new and the porch looked recently updated, no doubt there being a swing set of some sort in the back yard. 

They didn’t stop in front of the house, afraid of raising unwanted attention. A few houses down there seemed to be a rundown old house. The windows were boarded up and the paint peeling. Whatever windows not boarded was shattered. It was the perfect spot to lure a childish demon and perform the exorcism. 

Inside the hunters coated the first floor in traps while the second floor was salted to make sure it didn’t try to make a grand escape up the stairs and out a window. The door to the basement and all the windows on the ground floor were also salted down. If the demon came in and got caught in one of the numerous traps under the rugs, the door it came in would also be salted. 

But to lure the demon to them? That would be the hard part. Maybe they should go disguised as priests to talk to the parents. Or cops inspecting a recent break-in down the street, and trying to make sure they knew how to keep safe. 

In the end, the brothers decided to just go over there and show the demon they were there. Perhaps the parents wouldn’t know they kidnapped their possessed child and tried to save her. 

After the sun set and it was completely dark, the brothers set out to the demons’ vacation home. They easily picked the lock and let themselves in. Gabriel was carrying the holy water while Castiel carried the salt. As they entered the child’s room, they noticed it smelled faintly of sulfur. This seemed to be the right place. 

They had only one shot at this. As one, the brothers coated the child with salt and holy water. An un-earthly screaming met their ears and they both grabbed the child. The smell of burning flesh was great and the demon, though weakened by salt and holy water, was kicking up a storm. 

“Castiel! There is no way we can get this kid to the house!” Gabriel shouted at him. 

Castiel nodded and looked down at the child possessed. “I am very sorry little one. This is going to hurt immensely.” And with that, Castiel started his exorcism. 

The demon's black eyes surfaced and even as it writhed in their arms it laughed, screaming terrible things at them, twisting the child’s face with cruelty. They were thrown into a wall by an invisible force, but Castiel continued. Gabriel making sure the salt lines he had hastily put down a second ago were still in place. The glass in one of the windows shattered, cutting along the side of Castiels’ face. 

“Well well! It seems it is the infamous Castiel Novak and his older brother Gabriel! Can’t wait to see you in hell Castiel!” And with that, the demon launched itself out of the child, her jaw almost unhinging if not for the supernatural creature that was once inside. 

Castiel stared down at the child, mentally screaming at her to move, even just a little. When she coughed his eyes lit up, and he gave her a gentle squeeze before letting her go and leaving the room immediately. 

“Stop!” 

They both turned, and there stood the mother of the child. 

“Is she better now?” was all she asked. Her eyes were tired, she probably hadn’t slept for fear of her child. 

“Yes ma’am.” Gabriel answered. 

She stared at them as they fled the house, tears streaming down her face. “Thank you.” She whispered. "Thank you so much.” 

Battered and scratched they ran to the car and took off. But with the taste of victory. They had saved the child; the scratches didn’t matter in the least as long as the child had been saved.


	2. November

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are back and just a little bit sicker than ever. A family meeting happens. And we meet some new characters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look. If this looks like it was badly written, its because it was. I only did some minor edits on it, and it can still use tons of work. I'm not just saying that. In my opinion this could be so much better written. But I'm working on it. As I update this I have other projects I'm working on and it will most likely be better edited after I finish my other things.   
As always, please enjoy!

The air had a chill in it as it wrapped its cold fingers around the hunters walking down the street. Gabriel walked beside Castiel with a sucker in his mouth, and snuck glances at his younger brother. He seemed ill at ease, which made Gabriel wonder. Was there something around them that he couldn’t really make out, or was Castiel thinking of his coming death. Well, if he knew when he was going to die soon he would have waited it out someplace no demon could get to. But his brother Castiel was fearless, and he seemed totally ready to accept his punishment for saving him. Castiel’s teeth were clicking. 

“Hey Cassy, I’m cold. Want to get someplace warm, maybe grab a burger.” 

Castiel looked at him with eyes full of praise. “That sounds good. It is quite chilly tonight.” 

Both brothers picked up their pace and headed for the nearest burger place. It was warm and almost completely empty, and it also smelled like a pumpkin air freshener was spilled around the place. In other words, it stank. They sat down in a booth and both of them ordered a burger. Gabriel ordered a pumpkin pie with his burger. 

Castiel pulled his laptop out of the bag he carried and set it on the table. They might as well find a lead as they got warm. Castiel searched through all sorts of news looking for anything that resembled a job. About to give up for the night he found one. 

“Gabriel, I might have just found us a new job. Six children have all gotten sick in the course of a week.” 

“So? It’s cold outside Castiel. Kids will be getting sick.” Gabriel rolled his eyes. It wasn’t like Castiel to find the supernatural in the ordinary. 

Castiel’s eyes squinted and he frowned. “Yes, you are right. I must just be tired. Let’s just finish eating and get to the motel.” 

At the motel Castiel threw himself onto the bed. Gabriel watched him because this wasn’t like him at all. Castiel was usually moving around with extra energy if they didn’t have some sort of hunt earlier. Castiel should have been climbing the walls by now with boredom or looking for a hunt on his laptop. Instead he was lying face down on the other bed, probably sound asleep. Walking up beside him, Gabriel studied his brother. He seemed paler, and his breathes were coming out short and fast. He wasn’t going to try to touch his forehead to make sure there was a fever, Castiel might try to break his arm in the state he was in now. 

Feeling useless, Gabriel sat down and grabbed Castiel’s laptop. If he wasn’t able to do it, Gabriel would sure as hell try to find them a suitable job. What he found was a little out of character for his holier-than-thou little brother, but hey, a guy has needs right? 

After snickering a little bit and committing it to memory so he could razz him later over it, Gabriel got to work. He had to be serious, committed. But how did Castiel find all their jobs so easily. He must be a little rusty on the research end of their jobs. Yeah, that’s what he was going with. Scrolling through what seemed like a thousand natural deaths and accidents, he wondered how Castiel even did this. He did so much work for the both of them, it was no wonder he had so much porn on his laptop, he had no time to get laid. Gabriel grabbed a candy bar and stood up, deciding to take a break. He looked at his brother and felt pity for him. He was one of the best hunters around and because of a small illness he was down for the count. 

Sighing, Gabriel walked out the door for some fresh air. He munched on the chocolate, deep in thought, when he saw the most adorable brown shaggy haired Labrador Retriever. He was standing right down the sidewalk and was watching Gabriel. 

He huffed when Gabriel did not come towards him, seemingly disappointed; so he walked to Gabriel. The dog padded his way towards him slowly and Gabriel realized he was limping, but it didn’t look like it pained the dog; it was more like a hindrance. When the dog plopped down in front of Gabriel and lifted a paw; Gabriel was thoroughly charmed. His big brown eyes stared up at him with an intelligence not usually seen in a dog and he sat with his paw in the air, waiting. 

“Well then.” Gabriel stalled, not sure if he was hallucinating. “I’m Gabriel.” The dog opened his mouth in a sort of doggie smile. “And I am talking to a dog.” At this he could have sworn the dog rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly. Gabriel bent down slightly. “Do you have a collar handsome one?” The dog sat back and threw his head back proudly, showing he indeed did not have one of those atrocious contraptions. “Well you certainly are very smart.”   
The dog looked like it was going to do something else interesting but in a split second he snapped up on all four and looked to the right, growling and exposing all his canines. Gabriel quickly turned and saw that he had been snuck up on. 

“Aw yes. Very smart, aren’t you Sammy?” A nasally voice said coolly. “Just a genius. But you, Gabriel Novak, you let yourself be snuck up on. Not very smart at all.” He clucked his tongue. “Honestly I expected better. I thought at least, being a hunter, you would be in more shape. But those candies you love so much don’t seem to love you back, hmm.” He laughed, and it sent a shudder down Gabriel’s spine. “Now, what to do to you and your sick little brother lying in your room?” 

Gabriel was slowly inching himself in front of the dog. No need for the animal to be hurt. But the dog nosed his leg, but when he looked down he was gone. He must have run. When he heard the man growl in pain, he looked up surprised. The dog had run around and jumped on the man, clawing his back and getting his heel in between his monstrous jaws. The man’s eyes turned black and in a second Gabriel had turned tail for the room with his brother. 

His brother knew the exorcisms by heart; hell he knew everything better than him. Latin just came easy to him, but they were equally matched in combat. But he needed his brother up and running for this. He just didn’t know if he could though. He pounded on the door once, giving him a warning before barging in. In the time it took him to get fully through the doorway Castiel was up and had a machete in hand, ready to cut off his head. “No time brother. Hope you’re in shape ‘cause we have a demon ready to charge in!” 

And with that the demon ran through the door. He was bloody and the dog was right behind him. He laughed when he saw the brothers standing and ready for a fight. The brothers leaped at him and the dog backed off, knowing it was their fight. They fought like a machine but their multiple cuts and hits to the demon only seemed to make him laugh hysterically. Nothing they had could really kill him anyway. Castiel caught Gabriel’s eyes for less than a second before he backed off and Gabriel was going one on one with it. Castiel took a short breath before starting his exorcism. The demon laughed once more before his jaw nearly unhinged itself and black smoke flew from his mouth. 

“Damn coward!” Gabriel yelled. He looked at Castiel who had once again collapsed on the bed. The dog gave a small bark and a quick doggie nod before streaking out of the room, leaving Gabriel and his brother alone. “Castiel! Crap little brother, are you awake?” He saw a small nod before the shakes really got a hold of him. He shivered like he just had multiple buckets of ice water dropped over his head and was currently standing in freezing wind. Gabriel felt his head and found it sweaty and way hotter than it should have been. He shouldn’t have fought tonight, that much was for sure. He scooped him up in his arms, and knowing he was going to hate him later for this, took him to the sad excuse for a bathroom. He shed his brother’s clothes to the sensible pair of black boxers he wore and plopped him into the shower. Turning the water on cold he covered his brother in the water, trying to bring down his temperature. He sat there shivering for a full five minutes before Gabriel turned it back off and went in search of dry clothes and a towel for him. After he brought them back and a command to get dressed, he went to their bags and looked through them. Unlike Castiel, who could eat burgers until you could see them in his throat, he did enjoy the occasional warm, slightly home-made meal. He had packed a few cans of chicken noodle soup and a can of ravioli. Taking one of the cans of soup he put it in one of the bowls and microwaved it until it was steaming. He walked up to his brother who had taken up residence on the one bed, and handed him he bowl of soup. 

He took two bites, calmly stood up and placed the bowl on a flat surface, walked to the bathroom, and promptly threw up everything in his stomach. He sat by the toilet and when Gabriel walked in, looked at him with sad eyes. “Might be food poisoning, could be one of the many burgers I had eaten today.” Castiel sighed and took another slow breath. “It pains me to be betrayed by the food I seem to hold so much love for.” 

Gabriel gave a weak laugh. “Yeah, that pain is called food poisoning and it really sucks. I don’t really think we should take on a job.” Castiel opened his mouth to protest, but instead started dry heaving over the toilet. “Thanks for making my point Cassy. You probably can’t even stand up without seeing spots by now.” When he made the move to stand Gabriel jumped to his side. “That wasn’t a challenge little bro, rest up. At least just a little. Maybe you will feel better in the morning.” Castiel nodded, and then Gabriel helped him to his feet. He swayed sickeningly and Gabriel grabbed his shoulders before he went down. He helped his younger brother back into bed. 

“You were wrong you know? We have a job already. That demon burst in here, thinking maybe I was down for the count for a while, but I think we should go after him. So we already have a job brother. It’s to protect the innocent from that murderous demon.” With that, Castiel promptly lay down and fell asleep, leaving no room for argument. 

Rolling his eyes, Gabriel sat down dejectedly. He had let himself become distracted and been snuck up on. It just wasn’t his night. After a few minutes of just sitting on the bed opposite of his brother and feeling sorry for himself, he lay down. 

The sound of walking past him to the bathroom brought him from sleep over and over again. Castiel must still be getting sick, which sucks because he had really hoped he was in fighting shape. His brother, almost seemingly invincible, brought down by some food poisoning. And then he was going to be gone for good. Castiel was going to hell and it was all his fault. A tear rolled down his cheek unnoticed as Gabriel went back to sleep. 

The next day Gabriel rolled over and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Glancing at his watch he saw it was almost noon and he could still see Castiel’s sleeping form across the room from him. He must still feel terrible because his little brother usually woke at the ass-crack of dawn. That’s what it felt like anyway. 

Tearing himself from the warm nest of blankets on his bed, Gabriel stood and rubbed the sleep grumpily from his eyes. Neither he, nor his brother, were morning people. But, seeing as how it was almost noon he supposed he could go and get them some halfway decent coffee from a place nearby. 

He pulled on the clothes he wore yesterday and walked out the door, not really even sparing a glance to his sicker younger brother. 

Castiel sat on the table as he watched his brother leave. Really, he had left a pillow under his blanket. There was no way Gabriel had fallen for that so completely. But he didn’t even glance back so maybe he had. He snorted and went back to the research on his laptop. 

He had a lead on the demon who called himself Bobby. Apparently he just gave out the information you wanted for not much. This, in his case was good, seeing as he was already going to hell. Literally. From his research he had found that the demon usually stayed around Sioux Falls. He didn’t really do much, and his cover was working at an auto yard. He found nothing bad in particular about him in the local newspapers but that didn’t really mean anything. One thing was for sure though. Castiel didn’t want Gabriel to know about his research. 

When the door banged open Castiel grabbed the knife sitting beside him and got ready to throw it. Gabriel was really lucky it didn’t fly out of his hands too, otherwise he’d have gotten a lot more shaved off the a few hairs. 

“Cassy! Are you up yet?” Gabriel was yelling at the bed where, supposedly, Castiel still slept. 

“Right here brother.” 

Gabriel jumped and looked over to the small table. His eyes widened. “How long have you even been there?” 

“Since before you left.” Castiel rolled his eyes when Gabriel looked even more shocked. 

“But… You were still sleeping. Right here…” he noticed the pillow under the blanket and just let out a sigh of defeat, his shoulders slumping. “Damn.” 

He handed Castiel his coffee without looking him in the eyes. 

“Like the damn wind,” he muttered, “not one damn sound. Just like the wind.” 

“You assbutt.” Castiel smiled at him. 

“Bag of dicks.” Gabriel smiled back. 

The morning passed by smoothly and the afternoon went by almost unnoticed except for the occasional glances at the clock when switching research topics, looking for the demon that attacked them last night. Or maybe just a glance for Joanna, the demon trying to kill the brothers. 

Noticing how they were getting no closer to finding her, Castiel became more and more frustrated. He needed to find her and kill her before going to Hell. That was the demon holding his contract. Not that he didn’t deserve to go to Hell, he did. And he deserves all the punishment he will get. 

Feeling a little let down that they hadn’t found any good leads all day Castiel laid his head down on the table. He was a little hungry, a little nauseous, and a whole lot tired. He knew that after a sickness you should rest to get better quicker, but that was just a luxury they couldn’t afford. 

If they both jumped when they heard a knock on the door, they didn’t acknowledge it. They both stood, Gabriel with a gun, Castiel with his favored knife. Gabriel opened the door slowly and swore when he saw was outside. He went to close the door but a hand from outside put a stop to that. 

Outside in all his British speaking glory, was Balthazar Novak. His blonde hair was sticking up in odd places and he was covered in dark stains, probably a mixture of blood and mud. His shirt was ripped in places and he looked completely pissed. 

“Listen here you fuckers, you are going to let me in and you are going to let me get cleaned up. After all, what are brothers for?” 

Gabriel opened the door a little more and practically dragged in Balthazar. Maybe, if someone was watching them, they hadn’t heard Balthazar say they were related. The demons didn’t need to know that they had more siblings. They would be used against them and it would interfere with everything. Also, they could find out. This would suck to explain to the rest of the family. Oh hey, did you know Castiel was going to Hell soon? Yeah, that would be awkward. 

That would go over well. 

Balthazar was in the shower for a total of five minutes before he came out with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Can I borrow some clothes? All my stuff was left behind.” 

He didn’t elaborate and the other hunters didn’t press him. It was weird that Balthazar was even doing a hunt. He mostly did the research for other hunters. He hated to hunt, said it was too dirty and he liked getting to stay up late and sleep in. So he handled the numerous other hunters, telling them all about the new hunts near them, and giving them the information to not get them killed. He was the lore expert, the one everyone went to. 

Without a word Castiel walked towards him with a pair of jeans and a shirt in hand. He couldn’t be real picky because Castiel had pretty much the same outfits, just in different colors. 

“Cassie, really? You need more variety in your life.” 

“This suits me just fine Balthazar.” Castiel said without emotion, he was scary good at that. “What happened?” Getting straight to the point, also scarily good at that. 

Balthazar rolled his eyes. “Well, it seems I had a band of demons on me. Usually I could have gotten away without a scratch but I didn’t see any signs of a demon. I was caught off guard. There were at least five. I got away, but three of them got caught in various devil traps. Let’s just say they weren’t happy about that and they let me know so. I was lucky, only getting away with a few minor scratches. But something tells me they weren’t really trying.” While he was speaking he put on his borrowed clothes and grabbed one of Gabriel’s many candy bars from the table. 

Gabriel hung his head and Castiel sighed. They both thought the same thing. Were the demons trying to get all the Novaks together? If so, where were the two other brothers and their sister? 

“I take it you boys know something then. Share with the class.” Balthazar said sarcastically. 

“It can wait until the others get here.” Castiel said. 

When their brother raised his eyebrow, Gabriel shook his head. He knew that when Castiel said something that vague he really meant it. The brothers all simultaneously took a breath and sat at the small table. 

“How did you even find us? I don’t remember telling you where we would be.”Gabriel said. 

“Please. I am an expert; I can find my silly brothers.” Balthazar said. Of course that’s what he was going to say, he just didn’t believe in serious answers unless lives were at stake. 

The brothers sat in silence for about a hour before the door flew open and in ran Anna. Her red hair was frizzy and matted, looking like she hadn’t brushed it in a while. One arm was tucked to her chest and both legs looked to be covered in blood. She was covered in scratches, her gun about to fall out of her jacket. 

She just glared at her brothers like a sister can, and walked straight to the bathroom. After a few minutes she walked back to the small room. Gabriel had gotten out their medical supplies and started to help Anna clean and cover her wounds. It was silent except for when she drew in a sharp breath when it really stung. 

Not even twenty minutes later the devil himself, carrying their brother Samandriel, walked through the door. Lucifer, Luke he liked to be called, was limping. Samandriel had a huge gash in his forehead and appeared to be unconscious. Luke laid him on the bed and stood watch on his siblings. Unlike his namesake, he really was very kind. But the glare he was giving them all froze them in place. 

“Well,” he said “Are you gonna help Sammy or not?” 

Castiel stood and walked over to the bed. He brought with him some bandages and gauze. He cleaned up the blood as best he could and covered it with a thick piece of material before wrapping it with the gauze. 

“I’m gonna make sure this place is more demon proofed. All these hunters in one spot can really not be good.” Balthazar stood from his place at the table and walked to the small window checking the salt line. When it proved to be okay he took out a pencil and lightly drew a symbol on the wall. When he was satisfied with that he walked to the door and drew the same symbol on the wood of the door. 

“For protection.” He said to no one in particular. 

Luke sat on the edge of one of the beds and looked at his ankle. It was black and swollen. “Looks broken. A monster broke my ankle.” He smiled. “Guys, I think I need a drink. Then, I need someone to set it and wrap it.” 

No one looked all too eager to help him. It would be extremely painful to set the ankle without drug medication. So alcohol became their medication. Balthazar went to go get some tequila because it gets them drunk faster than anything else. They all had amazing alcohol tolerance. After a few large swallows from Luke and two from Gabriel, the ankle was set and wrapped. Gabriel’s face was green after helping his brother, he hated medical work. Especially that. Luke was properly drunk so it barely hurt him. 

“Well since we are all here now, Gabriel and Castiel seem to know what’s going on. Now do you care to share with the class?” Balthazar fixed them with a pointed stare. 

Castiel made his face show no emotion and Gabriel hung his head, digging a candy bar out of his pocket. 

“I am going to Hell.” Castiel stated with zero emotion. It really was very scary the way he could act like a robot. 

“Aren’t we all?” Anna asked, she didn’t really get the seriousness of his statement. 

“I am going to Hell. In March. I sold my soul. I didn’t want you to know until it was over.” 

“What the hell for!” Luke yelled. He seemed to sober up pretty quickly. His eyes were wide and burning with anger. 

“Me.” Gabriel whispered. 

Everyone looked shocked. One of the most mischievous siblings was completely serious and, for once, not eating any kind of candy. He stood with everyone’s eyes on him and kept his head down. 

“I was killed early October; some dick with a knife stabbed me in the back. I was dead for a day and a half apparently. When I woke up, Castiel told me I was unconscious for a while. I must have hit my head. I didn’t know any better so I believed him.” 

Castiel cut him off and finished for him. “He was dead. Now he’s not. That’s what happened. That’s the end of the story. I will die and no one can do anything about it.” 

“The hell we won’t!” Anna was yelling now. “Baby brother this is crazy. You are going to die, and yet you act like you don’t care. Show some kind of emotion, please!” Anna was crying. 

“It’s not that big of a deal Anna. We are all going to die eventually anyway right? We are all hunters. So, sooner or later, we are going to die. I just am doing it sooner than planned.” He started to become upset. “If you don’t like it, that’s too damn bad, because it’s too damn late!” Castiel finished louder than he wanted. He picked up his knife and stalked out the door. 

All the siblings were frozen for a minute before they all jumped up getting ready to go after him. Balthazar was the first out the door, but when he looked around Castiel was gone. Either he can run really fast, or he vanished into thin air. 

“Fuck! What are we gonna do? Castiel is MIA and demons are on the prowl.” 

“We stay here. He’ll be back sooner or later. And if not, we can always track his phone.” Gabriel said quietly. 

The rest of them looked at him like he had spoken another language. Feeling the weight of all the stares Gabriel started to fidget. 

Cut to Castiel: 

The first thing Castiel became aware of was that he had something over his eyes and mouth. His arms and legs were also tied together. It smelled, old. Wherever he was it was most certainly abandoned. The concrete underneath him was cold and wet but he didn’t move in case his abductor was still in the room. He kept his breathing even and tried to listen to the best of his ability. It was strange to have sight taken from you. In the distance he could hear a clicking sound that seemed to grow closer. 

“Are you awake there Castiel?” The voice was melodic and sweet. The woman sounded timid, like she didn’t know if he really was awake or not. 

Castiel grunted. He wanted his sight back. He may not be able to use his limbs but he would be able to see. 

The woman laughed and she took off his blindfold. He squinted into the dark, but could barely see her. 

“Oh! Someone turn on the lights! What do you think we are some bad movie?” The women yelled into the room. 

Almost immediately the lights blinked on and Castiel had to squint for a few minutes before he got used to the sudden brightness. The woman was small. She probably would be shorter than he if Castiel were standing. She had flaming red hair and her eyes were black but they held a kindness in them that was unusual for demons like her. She blinked and they were replaced by blue-green eyes. She smiled shyly. 

“They were right about one thing though.” She said. 

Castiel raised an eyebrow and grunted again. He was still gagged. 

“You are dreamy.” The demon reached forward and Castiel tried to move back. “Oh hold still,” she said exasperated. “I am just getting the gag.” 

He stopped wiggling and she removed the annoying object from his mouth. 

“Who?” 

“That doesn’t really matter right now, okay? What really matters is that they tied you up like a Christmas hog. Really? I don’t know what possessed them to do that.” She chuckled at her own joke and Castiel smiled against his better judgment. 

She cut his bindings and Castiel moved back again to stretch out his limbs and stand. She stayed where she was while Castiel worked the kinks out of his muscles. 

“Well, since I am not dead yet, may I ask your name demon?” 

Her eyes blackened and she grimaced. “My name is Charlie. And I would rather you didn’t rub in my predicament. It really sucks being a demon you know. Lots of rules. But you are lucky I got a hold of you, others would not be so kind. I hate doing this. I am hunted by hunters and demons alike. I like to think of myself as rouge. Sort of undercover good guy don’t you think? I prefer to help the hunters, because I know if I get caught by my kind they will torture me into oblivion. With hunters, I hope they just kill me.” The whole time she explained she had twirled her hair around her finger. She had stopped smiling and looked to Castiel. 

“Do you really wish to die?” was all Castiel asked of her. 

She rolled her eyes. “Well, no. I like living. I just much rather be human. Most times I end up sitting in a seat and think, this is it Charlie. There is no going back. You’re going to end up really old and still look exactly the same. You will miss all the passings of those you love and realize that your deal wasn’t really worth this.” 

“Well. I don’t really trust you Charlie. But you have released me from those binds and you do seem to know who I am and what I can do. So, what do you want me to do? That’s why I am here and unharmed correct?” Castiel pulled all his emotion from his face and voice. 

“All hunters seem to think that.” She laughed. “I just saved your ass and you think I want something. Well, I do. But not from you, you would kill me as soon as you have your weapons back in your hands.” 

“Maybe if you had Gabriel. But if you choose not to die then I will not deliver your death to you. I try and keep my promises Charlie.” 

She nodded. “I don’t believe you. There is something going on now. Something big. Demons are flocking to this one neighborhood. I can’t go alone, it would mean certain death. But if I had a few hunters on my side…” She trailed off looking to Castiel, her eyes pleading. 

“When?” 

“As soon as possible. Whatever is going down, I don’t like it. It feels evil and I hate it. It makes my skin crawl.” 

“Can I have my weapons back then? And I would like to get some backup from some hunters I know.” Castiel glanced her way, giving nothing away. 

“Yeah, whatever you need.” 

She disappeared and reappeared with all of his usual gear. Mostly just his knife was what was important to him. 

“This is also one of the perks. The moving really fast thing. It rocks.” She grinned up at him. 

Castiel shook his head and smiled. He held out his hand. She looked at it distrustfully before slowly bringing it up and putting her hand in his. He shook her hand slowly. 

“Hello Charlie.” 

“Castiel.” 

They both nodded. It seemed they both got along with each other well enough to not kill each other. Now was the real test. His siblings or the other hunters he knew. 

“Take me a few streets away from the motel. I would like to think out what I’m going to say about you so they won’t kill you.” 

“Not being dead sounds good.” She smiled weakly. She reached out and in a blink they were gone and in a new place. 

Looking around with relief Castiel could see Charlie was as good as her word. Now it was his turn to try and help this demon. 

“Stay put, and try not to get caught. Look, human.” Castiel told her quickly before heading towards the motel. 

He heard her amused laugh, before reaching a new street and losing it. 

When he got to the motel he could tell he was being watched. It was probably just his siblings and he was over reacting, so he shook it off. He mentally shook himself when he got to the door before opening it and walking inside. All his siblings sat and looked at him. Anna was the first to stand and rush to him. She slapped him hard, across the face, and then hugged him. 

“I have a few minutes. Guys I need you to back me up here. I found us a lead, but you can’t kill her.” 

Before anyone could even question that, Charlie appeared in the door way. 

“What’s up bitches? I'm Charlie.” She smiled at them all with no fear in her eyes or voice. One thing could be said about her. She was stupidly brave.


	3. Charlies' Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt is on! But as always something goes wrong. Sorry boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy! 
> 
> (and yes, i know, the quality can be better)

At least four guns went up, ready to shoot the intruder, but Castiel stayed in the doorway. He turned to Charlie, a defeated look on his face. 

"You were to stay put until I could talk this through with them, Charlie." 

Everyone started to talk at once and the only words he could make out were, demon, why, and move. 

Charlie shrugged, not looking in the least bit sorry. She looked around Castiel at all the other hunters in the room. She gave a shy wave and looked at the ground. 

"I guess you can find me at the spot you left me after you talk this through. You probably don’t need me here." She disappeared. 

"Dammit Charlie," he muttered and turned back around. 

All eyes were on him. They looked shocked. And then all the expressions changed so fast on everyone it was almost comical. 

Castiel went emotionless. "I want you all to sit down and be quite," he ordered gruffly. "I will explain as soon as you shut up." He may have been the youngest out of all of them, but he was a natural-born leader. 

After everyone sat down Castiel calmly sat down on the bed beside Sammy. Samandriel was slumped over, but he was finally awake. He gave Castiel a short hug and moved over so he was able to talk without being obstructed from view. 

He looked around at all the faces and dove right in. "Charlie is a demon obviously." He saw that Balthazar was going to say something. "Don’t interrupt. And she actually saved me just a little while ago. She grabbed me and took me somewhere. She gave me a lead. I think we can trust her. Questions?" 

"No shit she’s a demon," Balthazar started off by saying. 

"What’s the lead?" When Gabriel asked everyone turned to look at him. "What, he says we can trust her, so we can. You don’t like it you can leave." 

The siblings looked at each other before shrugging. 

"But demons, Cassie? Isn’t this a bit big?" Sammy asked. 

"He hasn’t been hunting for a while," Luke supplied. 

"No, this is fairly regular now. And I’m sorry I dragged you all into this shit storm." Castiel rarely cussed, but it had the desired affect when he did. "But if we leave this room, you are not going to kill Charlie. She will explain the lead." 

Everyone mumbled their agreements. Castiel nodded and took the lead, gesturing for them to follow. For a few minutes everyone was quite. When they arrived to their destination Charlie looked at them with hope in her black eyes. 

Everyone tensed. "Charlie. Your eyes," Castiel grunted. 

"Oh, sorry." She jumped a little guiltily. "Sometimes I forget that that happens. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lost a date with a really hot chick because of these eyes," she said. "Crap, I’m rambling. Someone stop me, otherwise I will keep talking and it will get worse and worse until I start tripping up the words and I just can’t stop I’m really nervous…" 

"Hey, I’m Gabriel," he stopped her. He held out a sucker where as others would hold out a hand. 

She smiled and took the sucker. "We’re gonna be bros, I can see it now." 

Someone laughed and everyone relaxed. Charlie was like no demon they have ever seen before and proved it within a few minutes of meeting everyone. 

"Well, see it’s basically this. There is something big going down in a small neighborhood; I mean there are at least twenty demons throughout the place. They are all spaced around a small house protecting whoever is inside. I think I have a hunch on who it might be, but I want to make sure before I do something stupid. And, well, I need your help. All of you, if you will." She looked apologetic. 

Everyone looked to Castiel. "I already said I was going to help, you are your own people with your own choices. I will not judge those who choose to leave." Castiel looked each of them in the eyes one at a time. 

"I’m in," Gabriel agreed. 

"Me too," Sammy joined in. 

"God this is gonna suck," was all Balthazar said. 

"I will also help," Anna chimed in. 

"This is so not gonna be easy," Charlie told them. 

"We are going to do this to help Castiel, because that’s what family is for. But know this, demon, you double cross us and I will personally rub your entrails across a few walls while you scream," Lucifer told her. If he were a demon his true eyes would have shown. 

Charlie nodded her head, eyes wide. "Understood," she said in a small voice. 

"I know now isn’t the best time, but can we get something to eat? I’m starved," Samandriel asked. 

The others laughed and two of them shook their heads. They started leaving and talking together. Charlie looked at them as they left; she looked upset. Castiel stopped and turned around looking at her. 

"Coming?" 

She instantly looked hopeful. "I’m invited?" 

He nodded. She skipped up next to him and put her arm in his. They walked in silence, and when they walked past people Castiel wondered what they were thinking about them. For once in his life Castiel was a normal person taking a girl to eat with his family. Sure they were both gay, but it was still normal, or as normal as it could get. 

As they stepped into the diner a blast of hot air in their faces was almost uncomfortable. Castiel and Charlie looked around a little awkwardly until they heard Gabriel yell at them from across the way. The little diner was mostly empty, but with all the hunters in one place it seemed almost full. The little booths were red and black leather and the floors were tiled in black and white. There were three small tables pushed together to accommodate them all. 

After everyone had gotten their dinners and Gabriel his desserts, the table was immersed in talk. It seemed that hunting was not a topic to be spoken of at all. The long table was filled with laughs and nobody was left out of the conversation. 

It started to get out of hand when Gabriel kept flirting outrageously with the waitress. She seemed only confused of him, like she didn’t really understand what he was getting at. But most waitresses were like that, so they weren’t harassed more often in their place of work. Her brown eyes stared straight at Gabriel until he blushed and looked down, not bothering her anymore. 

The group walked out of the diner and the cold air felt like an invisible wall that no one was really expecting to run into it. But they all gathered their clothes closer to themselves and walked to their motel. They all couldn’t stay in the same room as Castiel and Gabriel. 

The chaotic check in was kind of funny. The owner seemed surprised that all of these people were checking into his motel. It was probably empty most of the time. 

In their room, Castiel and Gabriel sat on opposite beds. Charlie hung out at the table. 

"So, Charlie, how exactly did you get Cassie here to agree to help you?" Gabriel asked. He actually looked interested, so she answered. 

"I asked." She raised a brow at him. "What were you expecting?" 

"I don’t know? Castiel usually never agrees to anything I ask him to do." He sounded a little upset. 

"Still here you guys. Right here." Castiel pointed to himself to make the point in case they couldn't hear him. 

They both rolled their eyes at him, making Castiel smile. They were a lot alike; it was kind of funny. Castiel stood up, stretching as he did so. 

"Charlie are you staying here, or do you have your own room?" 

Charlie shook her head. "I’ve got my own room, thanks. I guess since both you boys are tired I’m on my way out." 

Castiel shrugged and went to change. 

Gabriel sat and watched Charlie. Her red hair was slightly curled at the edges and it looked great on her. He popped a sucker into his mouth, like he always did when he was nervous. Feeling a little silly he stood up and walked to her. She stared at him trying to understand. He held out his hand and when she grabbed it they shook. It was simply letting her know he trusted her. Before she walked out the door, Gabriel offered her a piece of taffy he had in his pocket. The good stuff, not any of that Laffy Taffy you can get anywhere. 

When Castiel walked back into the room he sensed something was different. Gabriel was laying on the bed, sucker in hand. But something was off. It wasn’t Charlie, she was gone. He shook off the feeling, it was probably nothing. 

Next Day: 

Something that Castiel had forgotten about having all his siblings in one place was that they were all trained hunters and knew exactly how to get into places they had no keys to. And that’s how Castiel woke the next morning. Anna was sitting in a chair at the table with four cups of hot coffee, reading a book. Sammy was sitting across from her, with his own laptop looking with interest at whatever he was looking at. 

Castiel groaned. He was just getting ready to pull the covers up over his head and go back to sleep but Anna decided now was as good a time as any to jump onto his bed and rip his covers off. She giggled when he scowled and shivered at the sudden cold. 

She laughed and went and sat back down at the table acting like it had never happened. 

Sisters, Castiel thought vehemently, they are absolutely evil. 

"What are we doing today littlest brother?" Anna asked innocently. 

"I think we are following Charlie today. This might take a while, a few weeks at least," Castiel said soberly. Anna stopped grinning. 

"Oh. I had forgotten. Can we trust her?" 

Castiel nodded and left it at that. If they kept up with their questioning of his judgment he was going to give them the silent treatment just like he had when they were children. 

Castiel wrapped up in his favorite outfit. It was a pair of well worn jeans and the boots he often wore when hunting. He also donned a blue sweater that complimented his eyes. He really wanted to put on his trench coat but with his other siblings here he didn’t really want to give them a reason to poke fun. 

Charlie appeared outside the door and knocked. When Gabriel opened the door, they were greeted with a very non-smiling Charlie. She knew what she was getting her new friends into and it really sucked. The demons alone, she shuddered at the thought. But the Novaks were very well known in the demon community, and just because she wasn’t welcomed there didn’t mean she didn’t hear interesting things. And after their mission over these next few days or weeks, most demons would be shaking in their meat-suits at the mere mention of them. 

"Are you ready?" she asked while looking into the room. 

"I’ve got to wake Gabriel, and make sure Balthazar and Luke are up and ready," Castiel told her. 

"I’ve got Gabriel; you check the other brothers." 

Castiel nodded and walked out of the room. It was chilly and he approved of his choice of attire. 

He knocked on Luke’s door and didn't receive an answer. That didn't really worry him because he just pulled his picks out of his pocket and got in just as fast as if using a key. Luke was sitting in a chair staring off into space. 

When he opened his mouth to talk Luke looked at him, his eyes filled with contempt. He stared at Castiel without seeing him. As Castiel called his name and observed, he realized that Luke probably didn't really even hear him. His blonde hair was moving without the slightest hint of a draft and his mouth had a scowl so unlike his own it was almost terrifying. 

"Luke?" Castiel called once more, fearing no answer at all. 

Lucifer looked at him, and it made Castiel shiver. "He’s not here right now, wanna leave a message?" he smiled cruelly, his face twisted almost evilly. 

Castiel rolled his eyes. He took out his knife and ran up to Luke, not giving him time to react. Before he could be thrown backwards Castiel managed to press the flat of the blade against his skin. There was a sickening frying sound and the smell made him want to gag, but Castiel hung on, wanting to help his oldest brother. Luke was thrashing about with the grace of a trapped animal. He whimpered and cursed, trying to get away from Castiel, but his struggles were slowly waning. Castiel started to thank anyone who was listening at this point when Luke started to fall against him in his tired state. 

When he finally stopped thrashing about he tried to see if he could pick up his oldest living brother and carry him to the others. But of course he couldn't. He never could. He left the room in a rush trying to get to the others as fast as possible. They needed to know about this before they left. He had expected troubles when they started, but before they left? It seemed nothing was ever easy, and he yearned for more simple salt and burns than this demon shit. 

He reached the others out of breath and only motioned for them to follow. They did without a doubt. When they got to the room Luke was gone. All his supplies were here, as well as his weapons of trade. He was unarmed and quite possibly possessed. 

Things could not get any worse. 

"We still need to leave. This mission is more important than any one person," Charlie said, though the words sounded hollow and weak. 

Nobody said anything. The loss of their eldest brother seemed to hang the most heavily on Gabriel. When they were children the two were hardly separable; loving to play tricks and pranks on every one. Gabriel always loved to say he had learned everything he knew from the Devil himself. He didn’t even munch on any of the candy he always had handy and never asked to stopped to get something to eat on their way. 

They sat for hours in silence, Gabriel and Castiel in Castiel’s car. Anna, Balthazar, and Sammy in her car. 

After getting there everyone was tired and cramped. Charlie had checked them into some rooms at a small hotel. Charlie had gotten them all single rooms, which meant they were all separate. It was nicer than they were all used to, but no one was going to complain. 

The rooms were white with pale green accents and it was really different than they were used to. The first thing all the hunters did in their separate rooms was ward it against demons. And when Charlie showed up in the morning they could fix it, but right now they needed the protection. No one felt the need to stay up any longer than to shower and they all fell asleep near the same time as the others, though none knew it. 

The morning was a quiet one. Everyone was aggravated and upset. But really they were all pissed because they felt stupid after losing a person before they even started. Charlie never smiled that morning and Gabriel made it a point to leave all his candy in the room before leaving. 

Castiel felt responsible. It was his fault that his siblings were even there. It was his fault that Luke was gone. The crushing guilt he felt was bad enough but he felt that the others blamed him too. He ran a hand through his hair and they all loaded into their cars to see the neighborhood Charlie had gone on about. 

It seemed like a normal neighborhood, not a sign of any sort of demonic influence. They drove by and looked at all the houses. If there were demons here, they didn’t show themselves easily. It was the little things that would have been normal that stuck out at Castiel; the mailman, the guy watering his lawn, the children outside woodenly playing, the jogger. 

"The jogger looks to have been jogging for some time, but doesn’t seem out of breath. The kids are strange as well; it’s like they don’t know how to play hopscotch," Castiel said out loud. 

"That doesn’t matter right now. Charlie says most of these people are demons then we should get out and hunt." Gabriel was scowling and said it with a gruff voice so unlike his usual tone it caused Castiel to glance at him in shock. 

"No. She said that Joanna was here. I don’t want to alert her to our presence anymore than strictly necessary." 

Gabriel continued to glare out the window. 

They returned to the hotel after a few hours. They were all still very quiet and the cold seemed to make everyone miserable. But they stayed outside and planned how they were going to do this. Charlie just watched them; interjecting at points how something might not work or when it would probably get them killed. Not dying seemed good, so they listened to everything she had to say. 

"This might take a while guys. You might want to do side hunts because this is a big project. Joanna knows Castiel here is looking for her, so she is being extra careful. But she doesn’t know you are here. That is good and bad. Good because you need the time to prepare, bad because if she does find you too soon she will kill him and send him to Hell herself. I have some knives I’ve…" she trailed off a minute, thinking, "collected that will kill demons. But you can’t use them just now." She looked at the faces around her apologetically. "It would attract attention you don’t need." 

"So what you’re saying is, while we sit here and maybe take on some odd jobs hunting, we are virtually defenseless if Joanna finds us too soon," Balthazar said to her. 

"No. I am giving you the knives now for protection, but you can’t use them. No hunters have these knives and if you used them you would be found," Charlie explained again. 

Before anyone could say anything Sammy looked at the siblings and shook his head. They all understood. No more questions. Time to work. 

The work was tedious. There was no new information for weeks. Then months. December came and went, and February was coming to a close. And as the days started closing and tension was high, everyone was on edge. Luke was still gone and Gabriel hadn’t eaten any candy for months. Castiel’s time on the earth was ending. A few hunting jobs came and went but it did nothing to satisfy the urge to kill the demons they all knew were so near them. 

And then on the last day of February their months long wait was over. Charlie showed up and everyone knew it was time. They piled into cars silently and drove to the small neighborhood. They all knew the plan by heart, having gone over it multiple times the last few months. 

They parked an hour's walk away from the neighborhood and gathered around the cars. Gathering their gear they all decided it was high time to use their knives. 

Balthazar was looking through his blessings to make sure he had every word correct before trying to bless any kind of water, one missed step could mean death. Anna drew symbols on paper and napkins for months to get the traps right or the wards correct. Sammy gathered all his guns and made sure they were clean. He grabbed the ammo necessary and then some more; one could never have too many salt rounds and he was the best at shooting. He nearly hit everything he aimed at. Gabriel and Castiel stood and stared in the direction of the houses, knowing tonight would probably be their last. Gabriel gripped his knife and shook his head every so often. He was mouthing his words; a nervous habit since the day Michael died. 

Castiel only felt guilt. Guilt at knowing he hadn’t helped many people since he had been a hunter, guilt at having his family know he was going to die, and very soon. And the thing that hurt the most was this was going to be the last day he ever spent with them. His last day and they were all going to suffer for it. His last day, and because of him, his brother was possessed and missing. 

"I am so sorry guys. I have come to think of you all as my family, and I am letting my family go into a demon infested neighborhood. I would give anything not to have you do this," Charlie appeared and told them. Everyone was accustomed to her sudden appearances and disappearances. 

Everyone just looked at her and nodded, they all understood what might happen, and they all knew the risks. Charlie nodded and took the lead. They followed like soldiers. 

He was wrong, it could get worse. 

They followed like lambs to the slaughter. Castiel grimaced at the thought, but couldn’t help but think it was true. His trench coat covered all his guns and he had his favorite knife slid up his sleeve. It might not kill the demons instantly but it helped put him at ease. His blue eyes stared ahead and never varied his gaze until they reached the edge of the small neighborhood. The farther they walked the more uneasy they felt. The siblings separated at regular intervals until it was just Charlie, Castiel, and Gabriel. 

At around ten at night they finally stopped at a small house that had been abandoned for a while now. The plan was to meet there at ten-thirty. The hunters and Charlie went inside, not hesitating because that would surely cause some suspicion. When the rest of the group showed up, no one had had any troubles. 

And that’s when all hell broke loose. The windows exploded and they were surrounded by black smoke. The demons had found them and they were not going to make it easy. They ran outside and that’s when the sprinkler system turned on. All of the sudden the smoke dissipated and they were just standing there. Charlie was still inside; she knew what was going to happen and didn’t want to willingly go into any sort of holy water. But that meant she couldn’t leave for a while either then. 

They headed into the general direction of the house were Joanna had been staying. Then there were demons surrounding them. Balthazar, Anna, and Sammy ran in different directions causing the demons to be confused and break apart. Castiel and Gabriel ran together towards the house, moving to the back. 

They entered through the door in the back. It was unlocked, which was extremely unsafe, seeing as how anyone could walk in. It was quiet. The brothers walked through the house and looked in the rooms. In one room there was a canopied bed. Pulling back the curtain, Castiel could see a mother and her child lying down. But the mother was not sleeping. She was staring up at them, mouthing for them to help her, her eyes wide. Castiel and Gabriel both pulled their knives and the mother started to cry but she was nodding for them to go on. Whatever she had gone through, she was terrified of the small child snuggled up next to her. 

But then she moved and opened her eyes. And then the screaming started. The little girl stared up at them, her eyes teary, and screamed. She clutched to her mom. They both backed off, this was different. This was wrong. 

The hunters looked at each other then at the mom. She clutched her child to her and cried along with her. They wanted to perform a test on her, to make sure she really wasn’t a demon anymore, but it was obvious she wasn’t. 

"You need to leave, and you need to leave now. You are in danger and you need to get away now," Castiel told them gruffly. 

They only nodded dumbly and left the room. The brothers stared at each other and wondered what they needed to do. Charlie ran into the house and slammed the door. 

"Guys, Joanna is gone!" Charlie yelled at them. 

"We know," Gabriel replied. He threw his knife and it stuck in the wall next to Charlie’s head. 

She flinched and Gabriel instantly looked sorry. "I wasn’t aiming at you Charlie, I swear." 

"Castiel, I am sorry but midnight is approaching. Your time is near. It is time." 

"You know, Balthazar told me that the hallucinations were a bitch. A first I thought they were just that, hallucinations. But I saw some of the demons before and I saw their true faces. And I never noticed it before, but yours has changed. You really are one ugly bitch Joanna," Castiel said calmly, rolling his knife between his hands. 

Joanna smiled from Charlie’s face, the movement looking cruel. 

"Where is Charlie?" 

"Oh, she has been very bad. She is locked away, hopefully for a while, to root out all the humanity she seems to have. And she has quite a bit. And I like her vessel, it’s all grown up and pretty." 

"You bitch," was all Castiel got out before he and Gabriel were thrown into a wall. 

She shook her head in mock disappointment. There was a clock in the other room and it struck twelve with scary finality. 

"Your time is up Castiel." She opened a door. "Sick him boys." 

The baying of hounds was the last thing Castiel heard before the ripping pain. Vaguely he heard Gabriel screaming and his only thought before dying was that he hoped he wasn’t dying as well. 

Gabriel watched his brother be torn apart before his eyes as he was pushed against a wall helpless. His insides were ripped outside and his brother’s screams had quieted but the sick ripping of flesh and the splatter of blood on the floor was still going. 

He slid down the wall and landed on the floor beside his brother's lifeless form, his face right next to Castiel's. The hounds were gone now, Castiel was dead. Gabriel heard his tears hit the floor. But he didn’t last very long with his mourning because Joanna had decided that it was his turn to die. 

He stood up and her eyes rolled back to reveal only the whites, the difference of high level demons. There was a bright white light as she threw her hand up and out towards Gabriel. He shielded his eyes and braced himself. And then it was over. 

Joanna’s eyes turned back to normal and the smile wiped off her face when she saw that Gabriel wasn’t covering the walls. They were both equally surprised at the fact and when Gabriel took a step forward Charlie’s mouth opened and Joanna escaped. 

He fell to his knees, exhausted. Crawling over to Castiel, he held him in his arms. His little brothers eyes were opened and the usual sharp blue was starting to dull. He was covered in blood and several pieces were missing. His little brother was dead, and he held his body in his arms. 

"Castiel!" Gabriel screamed. But that one scream didn’t even begin to convey the anguish he was feeling just now. 

He picked up his brothers cold, lifeless body and carried him out of the house. The others had to know, they all needed to mourn the passing of a great hunter. They needed to mourn the loss of their youngest brother.


End file.
